Research

Cognitive and affective predictors of smoking after a sentinel health event
A study published in Psychology, Health & Medicine looks at trends in smoking behaviors and quit attempts after a sentinel health event, defined as an unanticipated emergency that causes death or significant physical or psychological harm. Patients of ten different emergency rooms across the country were followed for six months. Both quit attempts and seven-day abstinence from smoking were measured at fourteen days, three months, and six months after the initial emergency room visit. Baseline stages of change were correlated with both the number of quit attempts and smoking abstinence. Other correlations included non-white race and quit attempts, or level of nicotine dependence and abstinence. Tobacco cessation interventions should reflect these observed complexities by acknowledging that the predictors of smoking behavior after a major medical problem are complex and can change over time. To read the study abstract, click here.

Participating in health issue-specific social networking sites to quit smoking: How does online social interconnectedness influence smoking cessation self-efficacy?
An article published in the Journal of Communication describes a 252-person study which found that social support provided through social networking sites (SNSs) specifically geared toward smoking cessation can have a positive impact on one’s likelihood of quitting smoking. The study concludes that the simple act of participating in a tobacco cessation SNS correlates positively with mechanisms of social interconnectedness such as social capital, social support, and cessation self-efficacy. These factors in turn were positively correlated with quitting smoking over the course of this study. The results of this study suggest that health issue-specific SNSs are promising as efficient mechanisms for encouraging health behavior change. Further research is needed to better understand how new media technologies can be utilized in a smoking cessation context. Click here to read the study abstract.

Relapse among smokers: Results from the CARDIA longitudinal study, 1985–2011
A long-term cohort study involving over 5,000 men and women sheds light on the sociodemographic factors related to smoking relapses. The study examines self-reported smoking data over a 25-year period taken from an ongoing community-based cohort called Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA), which began following adults age 18-30 in 1985. Of the participants who were smokers at the beginning of the study, 52.8% were still smokers at the end of this study frame, compared to only 10.7% of smokers who started smoking by year 5. Of those who were former smokers at the start of the study, 39% relapsed at least once, though 69.5% had quit again by the study’s end. Those with lower levels of educational attainment are most prone to relapse once having quit, or to not quit at all. Several other demographic differences were observed as well, including that white subjects were more successful at quitting and not relapsing than black study participants. Cessation efforts should acknowledge that not only are some subpopulations more likely to start smoking in the first place, but some subpopulations also have more difficulties in quitting. To read the study abstract published in the journal Addictive Behaviors, click here.

The unintended target: Assessing nonsmokers' reactions to gain- and loss-framed antismoking public service announcements
A study published in the Journal of Health Communication tested the emotional reactions of nonsmokers to different kinds of anti-smoking public service announcements (PSAs). College students viewed anti-smoking PSAs online in one of five randomly assigned categories and recorded their reactions to the advertisements regarding factors such as fear from secondhand smoke exposure and guilt about not helping smoking friends quit. PSAs focused on smoking addiction were most strongly correlated with feelings of guilt among nonsmokers. The researchers also concluded that loss-framed appeals were more effective than gain-framed appeals in increasing nonsmokers’ intentions to encourage smoking friends to quit. The study authors identified college nonsmokers as an at-risk population for smoking, highlighting the importance of research specific to that demographic. To read the study abstract, click here.

Smoking cessation treatment and risk of depression, suicide, and self harm in the Clinical Practice Research Datalink: prospective cohort study
Data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink dispel the notion that prescription medications used to aid smoking cessation can cause suicide and depression. A research team from the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom compared the incidence of mental health problems between those who used nicotine replacement products and those who used either varenicline (brand name Chantix) or bupropion (brand name Zyban). No significant difference in depression, suicide, or non-fatal self-harm was observed between users of nicotine replacement products and prescription cessation medications measured as a function of person-years in the cohort of 119,546 British adults who used smoking cessation products between 2006 and 2011. Given the size of the cohort, the results of this study should be useful to the prescribers and users of prescription cessation aids weighing the side effects of cessation aids and the benefits of quitting smoking. To read the full article in the British Medical Journal, click here. Click here for the University of Bristol’s press release.

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Reports

Help your patients quit tobacco use: An implementation guide for community health centers
Legacy and Partnership for Prevention have jointly released a new guide aimed at integrating tobacco cessation services into clinical care in community health centers. The comprehensive document reviews evidence-based cessation procedures, provides tips on how to integrate tobacco cessation into day-to-day healthcare practice, and features examples of successful implementation of tobacco cessation initiatives in case studies. Above all, the document recommends that community health centers emphasize tobacco cessation as an essential healthcare service that helps to improve health outcomes for those who smoke. To read the full document, click here.

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